Snow, Snow How I Hate The Snow!

 Bailey and Madison are playing in the snow.  They were so excited to have such a big storm!  It dropped about 2 1/2 feet.  Our snowblower isn't working, so we had to be outside with shovels, that adds to the height of the snow banks because it concentrates the snow from the drive way to the sides of the driveway.  Plus, the wind and the neighbors blowers add a small amount to the top.  So the snow was 2 1/2' but the banks were almost 6'!  The kids would take their sleds and try to go down the banks, but they kept ending up in the driveway.  The banks slopped more towards the driveway than the yard!

 We are cheating a little (a lot) in this picture.  Underneath this snow bank is the mound of dirt from the driveway.  When the workers put in our well the dirt wouldn't go back in.  A few weeks later it froze over and so the ground never had a chance to settle.  So we are stuck with a much dirt, and now snow, mound until Spring.  We hope.

This is storm three in as many weeks.  The first storm dropped 2 1/2feet, the second 5" and now another 3" today.  Tomorrow we are supposed to have another storm!
The driving conditions are terrible!  I drove Jordan and Kara (the neighbors daughter) to school, which normally takes 25 minutes.  Today took 50.  So I had drive Madison to school as well, and which normally takes 10 minutes, but took 30.  Four of the school buses arrived at 9am and I  passed another on the road 10 minutes later.

The streets hadn't been plowed at all!  And the sand was from the previous storm!  I don't think I went over 20 and I did that only on long straight aways.  I'm also thinking our tires are going to need replacing, because there were times when I was sliding and other cars were fine.  Just another thing that adds to the cost of living in New England.

I am seriously thinking of moving west. 
Just looking at this picture makes me feel warm.

Jordan's12th Birthday Party

I'm writing this the morning of the party, so I'll post pictures later.

One day you have a baby and everything they do it sweet and tended and special!  Her first word, her first step, her first pair of glasses. her first hair cut.  Every moment an achievement of growing up.  And then one day they see themselves as all grown up.  One day they are looking to you for approval in each step on their journey to adulthood and the next moment they are too mature for silly games, parents or siblings.

The changes at the tween stage in life are so fast!  And so confusing!  One moment Jordan is in a tickle fight, the next she is too cool and too mature for the color purple.

Some things that Jordan has decided are too mature for her are:
Purple, her new favorite color is blue- that's much more mature!
Siblings, they are oookkaayy, I guess, as long as my friends aren't around!
The Bus, all the cool kids get dropped off.
Playing outside, that's for babies! Like 11 year olds!
Cartoons, Anime is what big kids watch.

Jordan got a whole new makeover Friday.  She got a hair cut and when we got home from the salon we got a call from the eye doctor letting us know her new glasses came in.  She looks like a whole new girl!  Very grown up and mature.

Contrasting

Taylor turned 12 and decided that she didn't want to get any older.  So she agreed to be 11 again and has been getting younger every birthday since.
Jordan isn't 12 yet, but says anything an 11 year old would do it way to immature for her!

Everyone expects their children to have different personalities from the other.  You expect younger kids to mature faster than the oldest sibling because the older sibling exposes them to more.  What you don't expect is that influence to be minor, nonexistent or ignored!

On To The Party

For our party theme we chose a "Mystery" theme, or Clue theme like the game, but it's not exactly like clue, but similar.  Let me make sense of my rambling.

We are going to play a life size clue game.  The kids will run from room to room playing games and gathering clues.  They only have to figure out who done it and with what.  We took the names of a bunch of Jordan's least favorite teachers as suspects.  And Jordan's favorite teacher as the victim.  And some every school items as the murder weapon. (Glue bottle, pink eraser, pencil, dry erase board, etc.)

The kids will start in a "classroom" and play a game called pickle. Pickle is when the kids get a 3X5 card with a word on it.  They put it on their forehead and the other kids have to give them clues to figure out the word.  I have a large stack of words for them.  What the word is, is a mystery!

The next "classroom" they will play a getting to know you game.  Answer a bunch of questions on a bunch of cards, which they can look at if they choose to or just quickly answer. Learn your friends secrets!

In the "Gym" we are playing a game in which the kids trace their foot onto a piece of paper, then label it.  We mix up the feet and then it's a race to find your own foot!  Who's who in feet!

Mystery meat game! Of course, the "Cafeteria"!  I have three canned meats, turkey chunks, spam and tuna.  The kids can smell it, taste it, look at it and they have to figure it out.  I didn't make a meatloaf concoction to have them try to identify, I figured I didn't want to make anyone sick.

Then they are off to the Principals office!  There they will be out version of red light, green light.  The girls have to sit in a chair and try to get to the envelope underneath and pull out the clue.  If they make noise or are caught moving they get sent to the principal.  Which is the other room.  Jason will them "interrogate them" and try to convince the kids that one person or another is murderer and what the weapon was used.  Obviously, trying to keep the principal off the suspect list.

And to get their clues, you noticed that I didn't mention that yet, did ya?  Well, in each room after each game the girls get a bunch of balloons to choose from and pop.  And whether they  get a clue or not is a mystery!  Each balloon has a slip of paper, so even we don't know which one has the clue!

I'll post pictures as soon as the clean up crew, me, has finished.

Jordan the Author

Jordan has penned an article that will hopefully make it to The Fedora Chronicles shortly.  She decided to write about Women in Anime.  Without giving too much away, before the article is published, she wrote about her favorite character and her friends favorite character, and how they have tried to take on the positive qualities of these fictional characters.

The we recorded a podcast, I was hosting, Jason and Jordan were the "guests." Our friend has to receive it, edit it and see if it was quiet enough in the house to use it for the website.  I hope it works, but if it doesn't I still have it and can always transcribe it so that it can be another article.

Jordan's Birthday is on the 31st of this month and she wants to dress up in Cosplay and go to the Anime Convention in Boston.  It's not too expensive ($25 to get in for one day) and she has a friend who's parents are willing to let her go with Jordan.  So Jason and I will try to get Press Passes, like we do to the comic book convention in NY City.  That should cut down our expenses.

So Jordan's Cosplay dress is Tohru Honda 
And this is the cartoon character.

We got the costume made longer in the leg than the cartoon.  We are going to have to work on the brown shoes.

So the only issue that will come into play is that we are going the day after Taylor's birthday!  The convention is on April 22, 23 & 24.  We plan on going on Saturday the 23rd.  Taylor is against going, she isn't interested in Anime at all.  I'm sure we'll figure things out.

The next challenge we have is that all three girls are going to be part of Taylor's best friends Quinceanera.  Which means new dresses for each girl, and shoes, and tights.  Thankfully, Melany's mom is good at hair, so we won't be going to a salon!  They are very excited though, new dresses and a chance to dress up.

So look for Jordan's article on the front page of The Fedora Chronicles!

Christmas, New Years and Beyond...

This was a good Christmas.  We didn't expect it to be, but overall it went really well.  Sometimes you think you aren't going to have anything to spend on your kids (husband included), but some how it works out that they all get what they wanted.
Madison got to play Santa and hand out presents.  It's a tradition that a Santa hat is worn to do this job.  But this year Meme found a new Santa had that sings and dances on your head! Still pictures don't do it justice.

The most exciting gifts were from Ben. Madison got a Bike, Taylor a Crystal owl, Jordan a cellphone and Bailey an ipod touch!  When Jordan saw her cellphone she didn't know what it was.  It's a Twist phone.  You don't slide it or flip it, it twists.  It looked like just a blank screen, until we told her to twist the top, when it pooped open she was so excited!  Bailey LOVED her ipod touch! As you can see by the picture.  It wasn't charged, so she couldn't play with it until later.  Now it's her constant companion!

Here lady is waiting for her gift.

Here Lady is hating her gift.

Lady is having puppies around February 17th.  We are hoping for February 14th, but there are no guarantee's with anyone's pregnancy.  Except those who get a c-section, but we aren't going to that expense with a dog just to have the puppies die because they needed more time in the cooker!

We spent New Years at Jason's parents with Suz and her two younger kids.  It was fun.  The boys couldn't seem to figure out how to play with out killing each other.  And even the girls were over tired and cranky.  I think it's better when these kids can get 8-10 hours of sleep and then play!  (No pictures, not because there was nothing to take pictures of but because I forgot my camera)  We went sledding down a HUGE hill!  That was so much fun!  Even lady enjoyed it until the sled tipped over, then she just trotted away like it was nothing and the person on the sled got a face full of snow.  It helps to have 4 legs!

I sent in Lady's information to the newspaper to have it published as Pet of the Month.  They said it will show up in March.  It's only the local paper, so I'll see if I remember to take a picture of it to show it off here.

I really can't think of anything else exciting going on.

I lied, I just thought of one.

Ben is thinking about going on his mission early.  I guess the Ward or Stake Senior Missionary couple, the Stake President and the Bishop have decided that Ben should leave now for his mission.  He still has some things he needs to put into order.  But once he does they want him to go.  This messes with his entire plan.  And he doesn't like it when plans change.  He sets a goal and works towards it.  If things change it makes him feel out of control.  So he is praying about it to see if they are prompted by the Lord, or if they are just trying to see him off sooner.

Personally, I'd like to see him go sooner.  He seems to be stuck to me.  He's working, he's being a good kid, but he has a life to live and it's like he's waiting until October to start it.  So I prayed that he would find an answer, the right answer.

So it will be exciting if he goes early.  It will be just another day if it turns out he has too much to put into order first.

Oh, and our friends, the Dahl family, Mark, Kat and Canon, came over for Christmas day.  They have no family in the area, so we invited them to come with us.  Here Canon is playing with his giggling Elmo that TJ and Co bought for him.  Isn't he so cute!  The girls just love him!  We have to be careful though, I think Bailey and Jordan might love him to death.  Unintentionally, but literally I'm afraid.

Unclogging Vs Hiring someone to Dig it for you

In case you have a well.... don't bother to try and unclog it.  It's cold, uncomfortable and pointless.

Hiring a well guy to dig it is expensive, but much easier.  We tried to save money and all we really did was waste time.  We can't afford it, after last fall/winter we are tapped out with left over debt, though a good chunk is paid off, it still lingers.  So, though we hate to do it, we have to rely on Jason's parents to dig us out, get the pun?  Not very punny, I know.

It really puts you in an uncomfortable place when you know you have no choice, and you know because of you and your choices that are costing someone else a huge amount.  If this had happened next year, we probably wouldn't be in this situation.  But it always seems that this is the way our lives go.  Maybe one of us mocked being stupid-stitious one too many times.  It seems that no matter what something bad happens to us.  I can't remember breaking a mirror or walking under a ladder, but we do have a black cat and we can't help but cross her path.


One friend asked, "Why do bad things always seem to happen to good people?"  Though I appreciate his sentiment, I don't know how "good" we really are.  Not that we are bad either, but we could be better.  If we were really good or perfect, we would have a $1mill (or more than we have anyway) in savings and investments because we'd have followed every prompting, every piece of advice and every recommendation from anyone and everyone who gave us good advice.


So a huge THANK YOU! to Jason's parents who are once again helping us out in a bad situation.  I don't know what we'd do without them!  They have taught us to be better parents, given us an example of the type of grandparents we hope to be, they have helped us over and over again and forgiven us when we've been dumb.  When we are hurting they there with a positive attitude trying to help us see a bright side.  They have done so much and I don't know how much I want to write here, because I don't want to be rude.  But I know every thing they have done, I have forgotten nothing.  And I'm grateful for such good and loving parents!  I hope that someday we can repay them for all that they have done, both financially and emotionally.

For those who have helped Thank You!
The Cousineau's- Thank you for the water, for paying the bill, for the manual labor, for fixing the snow blower again!  Thank you for being such good grandparents and parents, better than we deserve!
The Longs- Thank you for showers, use of the washer and dryer and water!
The Metzgers- Thank you for the much needed water!
The Willinghams- Thank you for the paper bag, the water cooler and the refills!
The Stevenson's- Thanks Eric for jumping down the well twice!
The Otero's- Thank you for the sump pump, and the manual labor!
The Sacco's- Thank you for the food and water!
The Robbins- Thank you for the water and water coolers!
The Bodily's- Thank you for listening!
The Callanta's- Thank you for listening and relating!
Chris and Shari- Thank you for calling, caring and listening!
The neighbors- Thank you for telling us your horror stories and helping with water and buckets.
And a Thank You to all those other's who will help, and those who want to help, and those who have offered to help, but I have had to turn them down as we were already getting help.
If I have missed you, it's not intentional!  It's just hard to remember everyone who has helped and offered because we have received so many offers from so many directions, that it is hard to remember everyone!


And the biggest THANK YOU! goes to Heavenly Father, for giving us such a wonderful family, such wonderful friends, for giving us trials and tribulations- even when we'd rather not have them.  For forgiving us when we ask for it, even if we don't deserve it.  

1001 Things you need a well for.

1 Water
2 Doing dishes
3 Doing laundry
4 Cooking
5 Wiping down your counter
6 Mopping
7 Flushing toilets
8 Cleaning up dog mess
9 Showering
10-1001 everything else in life

Though, I can't list them all, I do know them all now that our well has gone dry.  And I have to say, I'd rather be without electricity than water.  The pictures I'd have to show for this particular thread, wouldn't be pleasant, so I'm not taking any.  If you ever run into a situation like mine, you will thank me for it.

So my day Tuesday goes like this:
Can't sleep cause I'm not feeling well, get about 2 hours.
Drive Jordan to school because once again, she's late.
Miss the usual gas station and have to go to a new one.
Try to buy on credit, cause there's nothing in the bank, and can't.
Try to pay by check, but J has the checkbook.
Go home to dog poo on the floor.
J has to use his gas money and write a bad check to cover $20 additional to pay for the gas in the minivan.
We gather bottles and cans to recycle to pay off the last $4 of the $64.50 gas bill.
Get home, thinking all is well. (No pun intended) But dog has diarrhea on the kitchen floor.
Madison is at a park with Ben and Bailey, and get diarrhea too.

The best part is, we have no water to clean anything!

This is probably one of the worst days of my life.  What do I do?  I cry, yes.  But I also laugh and feel gratitude!

I'm grateful because when J talks to neighbors they are all willing to help anyway they can.  I talk to friends from when we were little, tween and teenager and they are praying for us.  How could this get any better?  I don't think I have ever had so many people praying for me and my family!  We have been given food, so we don't have to try to figure out how we can cook.  We have been offered showers, help with laundry, water to flush, water to drink and cook with.  We have been blessed by so many just by their concern and thoughts!

Though this is nothing compared to what others must go through, this has been tough.  But it could have been a million times worse.  When this all started going down hill and I thought I'd be depressed, but I thought about the example of my Bishop, and other friends & family (whom I don't feel it would be right to mention by name) and how well they went through their trials that were so much harder.  If they could go through so much and still be alive, smile even when it hurts and keep a positive attitude, then I would too.

I'm so lucky to have so much love in my life, towards and from, my dear friends and loving family.

I love you all!  And I'm thankful for you!

May God bless you as he has me, with plenty of trials!

Homeschooling Blues

Why are there some days that no matter what you do, you just can't motivate yourself to do anything.  And then, you have to, some how, motivate your kids to do their work.  Ho hum.  What I want to do today is go shopping.  I need to get a few groceries, just a few basics that we are low on, like crab meat.  Ok, maybe not totally basics.  But I really want crab dip!
So, I like to listen to this song when I'm having one of those days that just need a bit of motivation.

Make sure you turn off the music at the bottom to watch this video.



I think today we will work on measuring, fractions, following directions, portion control, and the convection heat.  In other words, we are going to go bake a cake.  I'll publish the picture later today.